Façade
by fierce-vanity
Summary: He had been watching her for days, and he longed for her power he would have to sacrifice something, so he became the hero. R
1. Volume 1

He felt a sharp pain in his temples and clutched his head. He was nowhere near the girl, and her powers were already affecting him. Taking a deep breath, the pain subsided and he turned on the charm, the same charm that had gotten him all of his other powers.

The girl he had been following was struggling against the masked mugger, she tried to kick him but he seemed to avoid her defensive attacks. Her screams for help were answered, when her attacker was seemingly thrown off her. She stumbled back as she watched another figure slam the mugger against the wall. Her eyes watched mesmerized as the two struggled, but her enthrallment was broken when she heard a loud snap and saw her attacker fall lifeless to the concrete.

His plan wasn't to kill the mugger, just incapacitate him. His façade must have slipped and he knew her reaction was going to jeopardize his plans on gaining her trust. Lucky for him, she didn't seem to notice the fact that he had snapped the man's neck. He looked up at the young girl and their eyes locked. Walking towards her, his hand stretched out in a comforting manner.

"Are you alright?" his hand made contact with her shoulder. "Yeah, I think so." She pulled her hand up towards her hair but she flinched when it brushed past her forehead. She pulled her hand away and saw a thin line of crimson run down her palm.

"You're hurt, you should sit down. You may have a concussion." came the man's reply as he guided her towards a vacant bench. She didn't object as she let him look at the gash on her forehead. "Are you a doctor or something." She smiled as she looked at his face. He muffled a small laugh and locked eyes with her again, "Or something."

She hadn't suspected anything, and he had to keep up his appearances, but something inside was slipping, and it wasn't his forced façade. As he broke eye contact, the sharp pain that had hit him before came back and he gasped. He heard concern in her voice when she asked him if he was alright, to which he replied with a quick answer. He was still crouching in front of her, balancing on the edge of the curb, when she twisted her body so her face was in approximation with his.

Caramel eyes met with chestnut ones, and he felt himself slipping again. She seemed so lively in nature, with her blonde hair ending in pink and her angelic smile. He had never felt this way before and he feared it may ruin everything he had planned.

A catchy motif broke the silence between the two, and Lexi rummaged through her purse searching for her phone. The noise grew louder when she located it, her perfectly manicured nails pushed a button on the phone and she seemed to read a message that had popped up on the screen. He watched her scan the screen of her phone and her infectious smile emerged on her face. Her smile transferred to the stranger turned hero, as she put the small rectangular gadget back in her purse.

"That was my boyfriend, I should probably go." As she stood up, the young man jumped up as well, but was thrown off by the curb he had been balancing on. He regained his footing and let out a small laugh. She giggled as she pulled her purse onto her shoulder and faced him. Holding out a dainty hand, she waited for him to take hers in his own for a grateful shake. He seemed to look at her hand like it was repelling, but a minute later took it and she thanked him for his heroic action.

He watched her pull her hand away gracefully and turn to walk back down the street, but she turned and walked back up to him. He wasn't quite certain what she was going to do but her voice pierced the air and he found himself speechless.

"By the way, I never got your name." she was close enough that the pain in his head intensified, but he hid his grimace. He didn't want to tell her his name for fear that she may find out his real motives, but he was so dumbstruck that he found himself spilling it out. "Gabriel Gray." He watched her expression for the slightest change, but there was none and he relaxed.

Her smile returned; that hypnotic smile that he found most interesting. She answered his response with one of her own, "I'm Alexa, but most people call me Lexi." There was a couple minutes of impenetrable silence between them, it broke when she turned to walk away, but she heard his soft voice call after her "Are you sure you're going to be alright walking home?" She turned to face him, her eyes bright, her smile even brighter "Yeah, I think I have a guardian angel looking after me now."

He watched her walk along the tall buildings and round the corner on 42nd street. His mind racing with thoughts that he hadn't thought about in years, he turned but stopped short when he saw the body of the mugger he had killed. Those certain thoughts he had been thinking about flooded out of his mind and his true motives replaced them. He found himself clenching his fists for what he had done. Frustration filled his body and he slammed his fist into the brick wall beside him. He wanted her power so much he could taste it. He knew what if felt like, the intense pain that caused his brain to cringe in agony, and that was only the weak effects. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like if she used her power to its maximum potential.

But still, he was bewildered why he couldn't go through with his plan. He had no idea what had happened between them, he could have sliced her head wide open with the numerous opportune moments, but he didn't, he couldn't.


	2. Volume 2

Holding the key to her loft, she walked down the hallway to her door. Bringing her hand up to the knob, she paused for a moment but was jerked from her thoughts when she heard the door unlock and open. There, standing in the doorway was a tall, slight-built young man; his hands were intertwined with his arms as he stood leading against the door's frame. She could tell by a simple glance at his eyes that he was not happy with her. She lowered her hand down to the side of her waist and began to speak; unfortunately the man cut her off.

"Where have you been? It's 2 o'clock in the morning." The tension in his voice caused her to cringe. "I thought we talked about you spending so much time at the office, it's not good for you." As soon as he ended his sentence he noticed the dried blood spotted underneath her bangs. Before she could react, the man had already pulled her bangs out of her face and was examining the gash on her forehead.

She seemed unable to communicate, as he took her hand and guided her into the darkened loft. Placing her purse and keys on the table, she went to hang up her coat in the closet. The sound of crushed ice produced from the refrigerator made her long for a drink. It had been a long day to begin with, she hadn't gotten anything really done at work, yet she stayed in her office until midnight.

The walk home was extensive enough as it is. She had heard about people getting attacked in the city, but she had never been a victim until tonight. As she was replaying the events in her mind, she kept thinking of the man that had saved her. He seemed to come out of nowhere, she hadn't seen anyone around her when she was attacked; but it didn't matter, he helped her and that's all she cared about.

The young man had come back and sat down next to her on the couch. He placed a glass full of crystal clear water on the table in front of her. She lunged at it, drinking ravenously. After she had finished the last of the water, she placed the glass down and looked at the young man next to her. What once was displeasure on the man's face was replaced with a wide smile. His hand took hers and he placed a small bag of ice in it, standing up he leaned down and kissed her cheek as he turned to leave the room.

"Jason." Her voice seemed like a whisper in the large room. The young man turned around at the sound of his name.

"I'm sorry." She saw his head move from side to side, as he replied, "Don't worry about it; we'll talk about it tomorrow." He paused, "Just, get some rest." She nodded as he walked out of the room and was left in the dark.

A beep pierced the air as she looked over at her purse and saw a little red light in the darkness. She placed the bag of ice on the table and got up to retrieve her cell phone. The phone had a message typed across its screen reading "New Voice Mail." Reluctant, she pressed send and was taken right to her voicemail, she listened as it list the messages made. Most of them were from the office, but one caught her attention.

_Hey Lexi, it's Peter. I'm just calling to make sure we're still on for tomorrow. It's going to be fun seeing you again, it's been ages. I'm sure you're at work, and probably too busy to answer your phone, but I'll see you tomorrow at Kirby Plaza. Call me back if it won't work out. Bye._

Through all of the havoc of her day, she had forgotten that she had tomorrow off. The smile that had gone missing during her encounter with Jason had returned and she ended the call. As she walked past the coffee table, she placed the phone on its charger and retraced the steps Jason had made out the room. She needed sleep if she was going to have enough energy to keep up with Peter the next day.

It had been a long time since she had seen Peter or Nathan, sure she had seen Nathan on television because of his campaign for congress, but she hadn't seen him in person in almost 2 years. So much had happened since then and she couldn't wait to tell Peter all about it.

Walking up to the queen sized bed; she pulled back the covers and slid underneath. Although she had been thinking about so many other things, the last thought that popped into her mind was that of the man who rescued her, Gabriel.

Closing her tired eyes, she fell into a deep slumber.


	3. Volume 3

Climbing up the fire escape ladder, he jumped down to the balcony. A metallic sound rattled under his feet, as he crawled through the damaged window. His old apartment had been cleared out months ago but he found himself staring at numerous items of furniture in the dimmed light.

Without looking through the apartment for inhabitants, Sylar began to search for the hidden room that held so much information on people like him. Throwing books and anything he could find on the floor, his hand pressed firmly on a mirrored surface, examining for the entrance. A light turned on behind him, illuminating the room and he was pulled from his pursuit.

"Who the hell are you?" a masculine voice sounded behind him. Sylar spun around to face the intruder. If he had been frustrated before, he was furious now that he found out someone else had been living in his old apartment, an apartment he had to clear out himself for fear the contents may lead them to him. He had already let a potential kill go because he had some sort of change of heart, he needed to get back on track and the 30-something man standing in front of him would place him there.

Sylar knew that there would be no gain to this killing but he couldn't let the soft side take back over, he needed to be brutal. The long pause seemed to aggravate the man and he ran into the kitchen and grabbed a chef knife to use as defense if needed. A twisted smile formed on Sylar's face as he took his actions as a challenge.

Thoughts in his mind flowed, he would not use his telekinesis or any other power he'd acquired. No, he would use his own ruthless ways. That was the only way he would get rid of the guilty thoughts that popped in his mind every time he thought of the girl he'd let go.

The only way he'd get rid of Gabriel, the weak, ineffective, and powerless part of him.

The tension in the room built as his victim became more and more panicked by his calm and collected manner. Sylar had always been able to keep reposed in even the most nerving of circumstances; it was what made him good at what he did.

He didn't hesitate as he made his advancement towards his victim. This is where his defensive arts classes would come in handy as he swiftly took a blow at the man's head causing him to stagger backwards and drop his knife. His prey struggled to get up clutching his head in pain.

Sylar bent down to pick up the knife that had been dropped. His actions from now on would be vicious and cruel. Grabbing the man by his collar, he jerked him upwards violently and whirled him around so the knife was kissing his neck. Sylar took a deep breath and tore the knife through the man's throat, letting him slide down to the cold tile.

Watching the man's body fall grotesquely and seeing crimson stain the crisp white tile, Sylar's mouth curled into a savage grin. He pulled the used weapon up towards his face, tracing the end of the blade with his free hand. The smell of blood lifted up and burned his nostrils; he relished the sweet and sticky smell that he had grown accustom too in the past year.

Dropping the dripping knife to the red stained tile below, Sylar resumed his search for the hidden room. He traced his hand all over the mirrored wall for any sort of opening. When he could find no opening, he became frustrated, sending his fist into the mirror.

Mirror shards crashed to the floor. Pulling his hand up towards his face, he noticed bits of glass stuck in his knuckles and hand. Blood flowed down his arm and splotched onto the ground. He waved off the stinging sensation, as he bent down to pass through the entryway into the even darker corridor.

Turning on a light above, Sylar rummaged through countless amounts of files. Stopping short when he located a file that read i Raye, L /i . He flipped through its contents, running his forefinger down the page, reading addresses and information. A smile formed on his face as he pulled a picture from underneath the paperclip. This time he felt no compassion as he scanned the picture of the young girl he had let escape.

Getting back up from his crouched position, he let the folder fall to the ground but kept the picture in his hand. His blood had stained the perfect portrait of the girl he had once thought to have been so innocent. Walking over to the large map displayed against a nearby wall, he located the address he needed. He knew that tomorrow he would pay her a visit, and this time, Gabriel would not come back.


	4. Volume 4

The warm sun streamed into the bedroom, casting beams of light throughout the room. Lexi stretched her arms over her head and yawned, propping herself up to glance at the clock to her right. She had to do a double-take when she read that it was already 10 o'clock, she was suppose to be meeting Peter at 10:30.

Throwing the covers off her body, she rushed to her closet, throwing on a simple blue sundress. Grabbing a pair of heels and a jacket that looked as if it would match her outfit, she dashed into the bathroom. Brushing her teeth and applying make-up at the same time proved difficult as she tried to keep her pace up in order to make it on time.

She spit out toothpaste into the sink and wiped her mouth with a towel, throwing it in the hamper. Balancing on one foot, she proceeded to put her heels on, trying not to fall in the process. She heard her phone beep in the other room but chose to ignore it, throwing her jacket on and grabbing her purse.

She exited the building and took a hard left, dashing down the busy street towards Kirby Plaza. By the time she had reached her destination, she was out of breath and sore. Searching through the crowd, she located the dark hair of the man she was meeting, standing next to the orange and oddly shaped fountain.

Slowing down her pace, she walked up to the man, lightly tapping him on the shoulder. Peter turned around to face the frazzled young girl, both of them smiling, they said their hellos.

After leaving the busy plaza, they had made their way to a quaint café on 5th. Once they were seated, cappuccinos in hand, Peter asked the question he had been dying to get an answer on, but became distracted when he noticed Lexi pull her hair behind her ear.

"What happened to your forehead?" his hand moved closer to her on the table. "Did you get it checked out, you may have a concussion." His inquiries caused her to laugh.

Jokingly, she replied, "Yes, mister nurse. I'm fine; I just got attacked last night." The tone around the last part of her sentence, sounded muffled.

_Jeez, you're like my mother._

Ignoring her thoughts, Peter placed his hand on hers, concern filled his voice, "Are you sure you're ok?" taking a sip of her coffee, she smiled back at him. "Yeah, someone came and saved me."

_Gabriel._

After she had finished her sentence, she could see that Peter's expression hadn't changed from being concerned. "Peter, I'm ok, really." She hoped that would persuade him not to ask so many questions, but she didn't know why Peter was actually concerned.

Peter tried to wave off her thoughts, but they kept coming back. Could she actually have powers and that's why Sylar was after her, trying to gain her trust by acting as Gabriel? What was he kidding, there was probably a million Gabriel's in the world, a quarter of them probably in New York. His real reason of coming here to meet Lexi was to find out if she had any abilities, snapping out of his daze, he asked a question that had Lexi dumbfounded.

"Was the guy who saved you last night, tall, dark hair, dark eyes, probably wearing all black?" He knew he was going to have to explain this one later but he needed to know if she was being a target. Lexi was staring at him shocked that her friend had just characterized the man that had saved her life last night.

She was so speechless that all she could manage was to blurt out a stammered word, "H-How..?" Peter had his answer, immediately he threw down his coffee cup and grabbed Lexi's bag.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Lexi had broken out of her shock and was staring at her friend who had just suddenly turned crazy.

"We got to get you out of here." was all that Peter said as he took her hand and guided her quietly out of the café. Lexi was confused as to why Peter had unexpectedly turned his behavior around. Allowing him to casually drag her out of the café, she wasn't about to let him drag her all over town and she pulled her hand away from his grasp.

"What the hell are we doing?!?" Peter could tell she was getting frustrated with him. Taking a deep sigh, he pushed back his overgrown bangs, "I'll answer all your questions as soon as we get you somewhere else. Alright?" Lexi looked at her friend perplexed but assumed that it must be something urgent since she had never seen Peter act this way before. The two of them stood on the side of the busy street, Peter staring at the young girl. Lexi took a sigh and looked back up at Peter from the concrete she had been looking at before. "Where are we going then?"

"To see Nathan."


	5. Volume 5

Lexi stood in the brightly colored foyer of the massive Manhattan mansion. She drifted from abstract paintings on the wall to what she assumed were extremely expensive statues, before her attention was taken away from them. Peter had been dragging her all over town without a single response as to his behavior; and then he pulls her into his brother's house, and has the nerve to leave her by herself.

Shifting her weight from each leg trying to lessen the soreness she felt in her feet, she cursed herself for wearing heels. On their way to Nathan's house, Peter had explained to her that they were similar, that they had special abilities. At first, Lexi didn't believe him, but when he pulled her into an alley and demonstrated his powers, she became a believer.

Taking a deep sigh, she glanced at the large door to her left, debating on leaving or not. Peter had been talking with Nathan for what was going on an hour. She couldn't stand there forever while they were possibly talking about her without her knowledge. She still had no idea why Peter took her here anyway.

She replayed the day's events in her head, searching for any sort of clue to why Peter seemed so concerned. When she found no sign to his behavior, she became impatient and decided to disrupt their meeting.

Her hand lightly touching the doorknob of Nathan's office, she could hear the murmured voices of the two brothers. Twisting the knob, she stepped in, holding confidence against anything that might be thrown at her.

The two were torn from their heated discussion as they both stared at the young girl standing in the door frame. Nathan was the first to recover, the serious attitude he had held before was replaced with a cheerful one as he lifted himself up from his seat.

"Alexa. It's been too long." Nathan said as he strode over to her, pulling her into a friendly embrace. Hugging him back, Lexi glanced over Nathan's shoulder, at Peter standing near the window. His hand was tangled in his hair and he looked worried.

Pulling away from him, Lexi stepped back, concern in her voice, "So… what are you two talking about?" Nathan kept his composure, looking over at his younger brother. "Pete?"

Tearing his gaze from the window, Peter looked back at the two. "She deserves to know." His response confused her as she glanced at Nathan. "I deserve to know what?" She placed her hand on Nathan's shoulder, seeming to beg what was going on.

"You should probably sit down." Was all that Nathan said as he walked over to Peter.

Lexi was hesitant as she lowered herself onto the uncomfortable but visually pleasing chair. Her attention drifted from Peter to Nathan as she waited patiently for one of them to speak.

Peter seemed to be the first to lead the conversation. "The man you met last night…" cutting him off, Lexi inquired, "You mean, Gabriel?"

"Yeah, Gabriel. Only we know him as Sylar." He took a long sigh, before finishing his sentence. "Lexi, he kills people like us."

His words hit her like a bag of bricks. She couldn't believe that Peter was accusing Gabriel, a man in which see saw no evil, of these heinous crimes.

Nathan could tell she was struggling with the news that was thrown at her. "Lex, we've gone up against this guy. He's dangerous; we just want you to be safe." She gave a disgusted face as she glanced up at Nathan.

"As far as I'm concerned, I felt safe with him!!" She yelled across the desk, as she glared at Peter. Peter's face contorted in hurt; as he allowed her to abuse him with words.

"Alexa, he killed Peter!" Nathan's voice seemed to echo in the room, as the atmosphere became deadly silent. She couldn't find any words to say, and her heartbeat began to quicken as she looked at Peter.

"H-how is that possible? He's standing right there." Lexi directed her attention to Nathan for any sort of answer. Nathan looked at Peter for a moment, as Peter quietly nodded, sighing, Nathan began to talk.

"Peter… has the ability to regenerate, to heal." Lexi tried to sense if Nathan was lying but his reposed nature proved difficult to read, narrowing her eyes, she glanced at Peter.

"…and Gabriel did this?"

Nathan began to speak but she threw her hand up silencing him. Peter took the hint, walking over to the desk; he opened a drawer and pulled out a ragged shard of glass, caked with dried blood. Holding it up to her sight, he replied. "He stuck this in the back of my head."

Disturbed by the sight, she turned her head away. She didn't quite believe that Gabriel could do the things they accused him of, but then again, she's known the two for her whole life. They'd never lie to her, and since she only knew Gabriel for less than 2 hours, her only choice was to believe the brothers.

Keeping her eyes fixed on the floor, she rubbed the back of her neck. "So, what do you want me to do?"

Peter answered her question almost instantly. "Stay here, you'll be safer that way so he won't try anything." Shaking her head she looked up, "I can't, I have work to do, I have responsibilities, and I just can't leave those things behind." Peter looked hurt as he turned to look out the window. Glancing at Nathan, she seemed to be begging. "I need to go home."

"Very well." Lexi was shocked when she heard Nathan's reply. She wasn't quite expecting it, as she assumed he'd revert back to his old ways of protecting her and taking the blame for her actions. Peter was as shocked as Lexi was as he stared bewildered.

"Nathan!" Peter yelled as he looked at his brother dumbfounded. "She can't leave!"

After Lexi had left the room, Nathan glanced at the papers on his desk, "Yes, she can Pete. We're not kids anymore, we can't protect her forever."

Lexi was pulling her purse over her shoulder preparing to leave the mansion when Peter had caught up to her in the hallway.

"Please, Lex, don't leave." Peter's eyes met with hers and she could tell he was scared.

"Peter, I'll be fine. It's New York City, I'll stay around public, how hard can it be?" Her joke didn't seem to calm his nerves. Sighing she took his hand in hers. "Jason knows about my ability… I'll tell him about this Sylar and he'll protect me. You have nothing to worry about, I'll be fine."

Peter still wasn't convinced but managed to smile it off, at least knowing that Jason would keep her safe. She flashed her smile as she pulled Peter into a friendly hug.

As she started to leave, Peter tugged at her arm, stopping her from leaving. She turned to face him as he playfully nipped her nose with his forefinger. She laughed and he mouthed the words _stay safe_, as she turned to leave.

Watching her walk out the door, he turned around to go face his brother scorn his actions.

Sulking back into the office, Peter gave his brother an estranged look. Putting down the folder he was reading, Nathan shrugged it off. "Don't give me that look, Peter. She'll be fine. She's in good hands."

Peter became frustrated with Nathan's remark, "And what happens when she's not, what happens when Sylar gets to her and she's dead?!"

Flipping through the pages, Nathan kept a steady face, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

----

By the time she had reached her loft, the sun had gone down. She had been watching her step all the way home as she looked out for any shady characters. She still couldn't believe that the man that had saved her life the night before could be capable of murder. He seemed so innocent; if he wanted her power, why did he choose to act polite and kind? She tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind as she unlocked the door.

Jason was sitting on the couch engrossed in a game of basketball when she walked it. Pulling his gaze from the television, he glanced at her.

"Hey babe." He said as he took a swig from his beer bottle. Holding her coat over her arm, she stood by the closet, worry written across her face.

"Jason… we need to talk."


	6. Volume 6

Shrouded in shadows, Sylar stood patiently on the balcony watching the two lovers basking in a moment together. Pulling his gaze from the two, he glanced down at the folder in his hand. Muffling a small laugh, he thought to himself that he really should thank Mohinder for the information he provided him. The file folders containing addresses and test results proved the only good thing that came out of his encounters with the genetics professor.

As soon as he saw the man leave her side, his attention drifted towards him as he walked to the back of the loft, disappearing from sight.

That was his queue and he quietly made his way across the scaffolding of the building to the window of their bedroom. Effortlessly, he climbed through the opening, making sure he made no sounds to indicate his presence. He caught the young man off-guard, but before Jason could make any sound; Sylar had already placed his hand over his mouth, dissolving any screams he may make.

With steady precision, Sylar dragged his finger from his victim's right ear to his left, killing him instantly. Grabbing his prey's arms to avoid the man from hitting the ground, Sylar positioned his bloody body in the corner of the room, in sight from every angle.

Smirking at his kill, he made his way to the door, peering out into the dimmed living room. He saw Lexi sitting at a desk typing on her keyboard, and he could sense she was getting exhausted. This would be the perfect time to strike.

She had resumed working on the report for the magazine and it had been 5 hours, deadline looming as her tired eyes stared blankly at the computer screen. She was so exhausted; after what had happened at the Petrelli house and her talk with Jason, her mind was jumbled. Trying to fight back the fatigue, she continued to type.

Almost instantly, a strong hand entwined in the blonde strands of her hair, and pulled her head back violently. Warm breath reached her ear as she heard a voice full of malevolence speak beside her.

"Did you miss me?"

Jerking her out of her chair, he threw her down to the hardwood floor. Lexi became terrified and used her only means of defense. Directing all her attention on Sylar, she attempted to overload his mind.

He was standing above her now, and found it amusing that she was trying to use her powers against him and failing. Laughing, he pulled her up violently by the arm, but as soon as she was standing, his hand flung up to his temples, as he felt a tingling sensation intensify.

Pain surged in his head and he screamed out in agony. He doubled his body over and took deep breaths calming the torture put onto his brain. Clutching his head and tuning his ears, he managed to locate where Lexi stood and sent her hurtling into the wall. With the girl incapacitated, his pain lessened and he straightened up, watching her body crumple to the ground.

His hand still near his temple, Sylar walked off the remainder of the pain. His muscles tensed up as he tried to control himself from releasing all his rage on her. He wanted to make her suffer, and he would get no satisfaction if he killed her quickly.

Lexi stirred on the ground, slowly pulling herself up; her head pounded from the impact of the brick wall. Her attacker had been pacing the room while she was down, but he directed his attention to her as he saw her standing weakly. Taking a long sigh, his eyes narrowed as he made his advancement.

Her nails dug into his forearm as he forced her against the wall, pressing his weight against her body.

Constrained, Lexi couldn't struggle against his powerful build. Sliding two of his fingers just inches from her throat, he drew blood. Her screams echoed in the dimmed room.

As much as he loved his victims scream, Sylar became impatient and cupped his hand over her mouth, muffling the pained outcry.

Watching crimson drain from the fresh incision, he couldn't help himself, leaning in and running his tongue up her throat, licking the blood clean. As he pulled his face away from her neck he heard her whimper and his mouth curled into a grotesque grin.

The proximity of his body to hers caused something inside him to switch. His hand fluttered up her arm and gently caressed her neck before moving to her chin. Irregular breathing governed her body as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. He could feel her body relax with his compassionate touch and he couldn't help but smile.

Holding her chin in his hand, he guided her eyes to meet his. Their eyes locked and she saw humane and sympathetic traits staring back at her. Suddenly all her fear and panic dissipated, as she lifted her hand and lightly embraced his rough cheek.

"Gabriel?" she softly spoke as tears threatened her eyes.

She caught him off guard, pushing Gabriel to the back of his mind, Sylar maintained control. The human traits Lexi had seen, turned cold, pitiless, and lacking of emotion.

Lexi saw the change and her heart quickened. His hand still holding her chin, he forced her head side to side examining the perfect spot to begin his attack. As her face was brought forward, he peered into her eyes.

That all too familiar feeling returned, the one he only felt when around her. The implied sensation that seemed to indicate he was already special, and that he didn't need the powers of others to make him feel significant. Breaking his gaze, his hand loosened; as his inner struggle began to evolve.

Sylar felt himself slipping, losing the upper hand to his weaker side. Pushing himself off of her, he cursed himself out loud.

"How the hell are you doing this?!?" he yelled walking away, holding his head in frustration. Her breathing relaxed and she straightened up. As he turned to face her, he met composure in her stance, "What's wrong? Is Gabriel winning?"

Rage built up inside him as her words sunk in, clenching his teeth he charged at her, swiftly restraining her. She tried to fight him off, but he seemed to be unimpressed by her actions, scoffing at them. He managed to turn her around so her face was pointing outward, as he threw her against the wall, carefully locating the crevice between her shoulder and neck. He applied pressure, and watched her struggle lessen as she soon loss consciousness.

With her body limp, Sylar lifted her legs into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. She was proving a real problem, and he didn't have the patience or the time to deal with her. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath searching his mind for Gabriel, when he found no sign of his presence; he laid her body down on the mattress. He found a chair in the corner and sat down, switching his attention from the unconscious body on the bed and her dead boyfriend.

Sylar came to the conclusion that Lexi would die tonight, but not after she had seen Gabriel completely gone. Lifting his tired legs onto the ottoman, he took a deep sigh and laid his head back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. Hearing nothing but silence, he smiled in the darkness, as he waited patiently for her to wake.

_To be continued…_


	7. Volume 7

The bright light of the sun illuminated the room as Lexi woke up. Groggily, she placed her palm on her forehead as she rubbed her tired eyes. Her head pounded as she gazed around the room with blurry vision. She blinked a few times to reverse the blur her eyes were giving to the room, when she noticed a distorted figure standing just inches from the end of her bed.

"Jason?" her voice cracked as she propped her body up from the mattress. Her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room, and she heard amusement in his tone. "Oh, so that's his name." Waving off the fatigue, she looked at the man in front of her; he seemed preoccupied with a pen as he popped the pen cap off and on repeatedly.

Sylar looked up at her face, continuing his habit, a smile formed as he pointed to the window's base with the pen.

Following his hand, Lexi turned her head slowly towards the location indicated. Her hand snapped over her mouth, gasping as she saw her boyfriend dead against the wall. His eyes locked forward, and his face smeared with blood to the point of being unrecognizable.

Still playing with the pen cap, Sylar could tell she was staring at him horrified. He kept one hand in the pocket of his jeans, while keeping up with his actions. His voice calm, he shrugged off her expression "Seems a shame, doesn't it?"

"I know Gabriel is still in there." Her voice shook in terror.

"I'll tell you what," Sylar said as he examined the text scrawled across the pen, "You keep telling yourself that, and I'll make your death a lot quicker then I had planned it."

Something hard rose in her throat and she tried to swallow it down. Her hand grasped at the bed sheet and she tried to concentrate, focusing her thoughts on her power.

She gathered all the pain and suffering she had experienced and confined those thoughts to an area in her brain, feeling none of the consequences. Carefully, her mind warped the torment to increasingly intense levels as she attempted to transfer the anguish to her attackers psyche.

Lexi took a deep breath as she felt her power release. As she slowly opened her eyes; she was in utter shock when she saw that Sylar was still calm, continuing to pop that damn pen cap. He noticed her shocked expression, grinning he began to count the three.

_One, Two, Three…._

Instantly, Lexi was hit with such force that it knocked the wind out of her. She fell back against the mattress clawing at her head in torture. Sylar watched on in delight, observing her body wriggle in searing anguish. Pushing at her temples with the bottom of her palms, she screamed as she felt the pain envelope her body. Her nails dug into her skull as she contorted her body in sickly motions.

After what seemed like hours of agony, the pain subsided and she lifted her head to stare at Sylar through terror-stricken eyes.

Sylar was definitely keeping his collective manner as he seemed unconcerned with her pain. As if he had read her thoughts, his response appeared to have answered the question on her mind.

"With the incapacity to transfer your power to another host, you get the affects. Painful, isn't it?" Sylar sneered as he removed the hand that was in his pocket for most of their encounter. His hand rose to eye level as she tried to shake off the remainder of her pain. Opening her eyes from the squeezed position they were in, she could see that he was holding up an empty syringe.

"I thought about going for the one that induces paralysis of the mind, but I decided this one would be a hell of a lot better." He took a long look at Lexi and smirked, "I'd say my impulse was right. It's time to give up."

With her only means of defense gone, Lexi closed her eyes as fresh tears ran down her face. There was nothing more she could do as she laid down on the mattress. As she stared at the ceiling, she heard Sylar place the pen and syringe on a table across the room. Taking a deep breath, she waited for her impending demise. Her mind blank from thought, she allowed herself to succumb to Sylar's relentless nature, as she felt his presence standing beside her.

Sylar smiled to himself as he approached her body, he knew she would give in to him. Most of his victims eventually did, only a few decided to be heroes until the end; when he ripped their power from them. He sat down on the edge of the bed, to the side of her body. She seemed so calm and peaceful, never in his life had he encountered such a person. Her angelic nature coupled with the dying need to survive made her the perfect prize to be won. Sylar had never had to struggle this much to gain what rightfully should be his, and he hated himself for allowing him to kill her when she was begging for death.

For all the rage and pain she had caused him, he knew she should pay for it with suffering; but there she was, lying next to him, ready to die. Sylar found himself feeling a way he had never felt before, he closed his eyes as a single tear ran down his cheek. He lowered his face down to hers and kissed her lips gently.

"I'm sorry." Compassion controlled his voice as he pulled a shaky hand up to her head. Before he started his attack, her soft voice filled the air, "I forgive you." For the first time in his life, Sylar hesitated as he finally dragged his finger across her forehead. She made no sound, taking the pain and holding it inside, as she peacefully fell into an eternal slumber.

Emotions overtaking him, he saw her body become limp, her last words repeating themselves over in his mind. She had forgiven him, for all the pain and suffering he had caused her, she had forgiven him. Processing the notion, he shook his head, standing up off the bed. He made his way to the door only to look back at her lifeless body on the mattress. Taking a blanket that was draped over the chair; he laid it over her form, as if to pay respect to the dead.

Stifling the tears that threatened in his eyes, Gabriel felt free. He left the loft, leaving the only girl he had ever loved with her gift. He had no right to take it from her.

----

Later that day, Peter would learn of his friend's death, driving him to be even more addicted to stopping Sylar. If only Peter had known how Lexi had died, how she died at the hands of a man that truly cared for her, but was forced to end her life. How killing her let Gabriel free and destroyed the savage monster.

How her death, saved the world.


End file.
